Merz aims to win young voters' trust with social care, pension reforms

The German government's planned reforms to social care and pensions are intended to gain the trust of young people, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday. 

Only a welfare state that offers reliable protection and is at the same time sustainably financed will be supported and accepted by younger generations, Merz told an employers' conference in Berlin. 

Younger people do not believe that the social safety net will cover them in old age, or if they need care, he argued. "We, the government, want to restore trust here."

Opinion polls suggest the conservative-led government's reform agenda - which includes changes to pensions, taxation, the health system and care - is unpopular with German voters. 

Despite his centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) suffering a string of defeats in state elections last month, Merz has vowed to press on with the plans, even in the face of some wavering from his Social Democrat coalition partners.

"I will continue to fight to ensure that, despite occasional differences of opinion within the government, the right course of action and the necessary steps always prevail," he said on Tuesday at the Employers’ Day conference, organized by the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA). 

On the subject of long-term care insurance, Merz said the issue involved fundamental questions of fairness. 

"People who cannot afford care must know that they can rely on this welfare state," the chancellor said. "Conversely, people who can afford to pay for their own care must and should continue to contribute more themselves in future."